Santa's real workshop: the town in China that makes the world's Christmas decorations

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2014/dec/19/santas-real-workshop-the-town-in-china-that-makes-the-worlds-christmas-decorations

The headline of article I am going to review is called “Santa's real workshop: the town in China that makes the world's Christmas decorations.” The article is written by Oliver Wainwright. It is published in “The Guardian”.The theme of the article, which closely connected with title of the article, is  Christmas decorations. The article is about the Chinese city of Yiwu, which has 600 factories that collectively churn out over 60% of all the world’s Christmas decorations and accessories.

The author starts by the description of workshop, which looks like “Anish Kapoor has been let loose with his wax cannon”. It means that red colour is everywhere. The factory workers in Yiwu put in long hours in less-than-ethical working conditions, often dealing with toxic chemicals that have the potential to cause lasting damage to their health.  Further the author tells us that Christmas isn’t made by rosy-cheeked elves hammering away in a snow-bound log cabin somewhere in the Arctic Circle. It is made by mainly migrant labourers, working 12 hours a day for a low salary a month. But they don’t imagine what Christmas is. For example, 19-year-old worker Wei works long days in the red-splattered lair and making 5,000 of the things every day. They both get through at least 10 face masks a day, trying not to breathe in the dust, and his father wears a Santa hat, in order not to be dirty with paint from head to toe in fine crimson powder. From the article we learned that the Yiwu International Trade Market is a pound shop paradise, where you can find things, which you even don’t need- artificial flowers and inflatable toys, then come umbrellas and anoraks, plastic buckets and clocks. At first it was the “largest small commodity wholesale market in the world”. But now this massive complex now losing out to internet giants like Alibaba and Made In China, because these markets are much easier to use. Although, according to Cai Qingliang, vice chairman of the Yiwu Christmas Products Industry Association, domestic appetite is on the rise, as China embraces the annual festival of Mammon. In the end the author tells that the beaming sales reps of Yiwu market are satisfied with their life sentence of eternal Christmastime, because they are sure- “Sitting here every day, being able to look at all these beautiful decorations, is really great for your mood.”

I found this article fascinating, because this article told me the interesting fact about New Year's sceneries and the markets of their sale. Inside the ‘Christmas village’ of Yiwu, there’s no snow and no elves, just 600 factories that produce 60% of all the decorations in the world.

Summing up the article, I can make a conclusion, that art and hard work of workers at factories gives to people pleasure and fantastic mood. I consider, that they must get higher salary not only because their long working day, but their ability to present New Year's mood and pleasant efforts.

Have you ever thought what country makes scenery which you bought? Is it important to you?